Turkish FM: Problem in Syria is sophisticated crime

Davutoglu has said the current conflict in Syria was not just the clash, but a crime perpetrated with sophisticated weapons.

ANKARA (AA) - August 17, 2012 - Turkey's foreign minister has said the current conflict in Syria was not just the clash, but a crime perpetrated with sophisticated weapons.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in capital Ankara on Friday and the two officials appeared at a joint press conference following the gathering. "The problem we are facing in Syria is not just clashes, but a crime against humanity perpetrated with extremely sophisticated weapons," Davutoglu said at the conference, pointing to the recently escalating violence in Syrian city of Aleppo and its Azaz neighborhood.He noted that international community's silence about the tragedy in Syria should be questioned.Davutoglu also said, following France's taking over the presidency of the UN Security Council this month, it had been decided that a ministerial meeting would be held on the Syrian conflict on August 30 in which he would also participate. Regarding plans to appoint Lakhdar Brahimi as UN's new peace envoy in Syria, Davutoglu said current broker Kofi Annan had assumed an important mission, but the Assad regime had failed to keep its promises to any initiative in the region."Syrian regime does not understand diplomatic language," he said, noting Brahimi's appointment was important, but he should have the full support of the UN Security Council.Davutoglu also said the Council should act with one voice in order for Brahimi's mission not fail like Annan's.Commenting on the details of the "operational plans" on Syria discussed during his recent meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Davutoglu said the term "operational" should not be considered as military action only, but it should be perceived as the coordination of joint activities to be conducted."There is a significant diplomatic activity concerning Syria, but this activity should affect the actual situation in the field in a positive way," he said."Unless the situation in the field changes, the refugee flow will continue and this is a responsibility solely taken on by Turkey," he added.

-Turks kidnapped in Lebanon

Responding to a question on the abduction of two Turkish nationals in Lebanon, Davutoglu said the Turkish Foreign Ministry closely monitored the developments. "Lebanon and Lebanese people are friends of Turkey," Davutoglu said, adding that Turkey had displayed intense efforts for the release of the Lebanese nationals kidnapped in Syria and it expected Lebanese authorities to act the same way. "Turkish nationals or Lebanon have no connection with the incidents in Syria. Establishing such a connection would be a great calculation error," he underscored.

-French stance of 1915 incidents

Upon a question on the French government's stance on the incidents of 1915, Davutoglu said he had discussed the issue with his counterpart "open-heartedly.""The important thing is to overcome these problems with a strong political will and maintain our close cooperation," he said.